Zheng Yayuan
Department of Chemical Engineering, Sichuan University of Science & Engineering, Zigong 643000, China.
Molecules. 2023 Dec 26;29(1):141. doi: 10.3390/molecules29010141.
This paper explores the kinetics of the crystallization of potassium sulfate in a stirred bed crystallizer through experimental investigation. Employing classical nucleation theory, the homogeneous and heterogeneous nucleation mechanisms of potassium sulfate were investigated. The induction time and critical nucleation parameters, including the surface tension (), critical nucleation radius (), critical nucleation free energy (Δ), and critical nucleation molecule number (*), were meticulously determined under varying temperatures and supersaturation ratios. The experimental findings revealed that as the temperature and supersaturation ratio increased, the induction time, critical nucleation free energy, critical nucleation radius, and critical molecule number decreased whereas the nucleation rate increased. The crystalline shape remains relatively unaltered with respect to temperature and supersaturation ratio, yet the particle size (D, D, D) increases as the supersaturation and temperature increase. The variations in the measured nucleation parameters align well with the predictions of classical nucleation theory. Furthermore, the kinetic equations of crystal nucleation and the growth rate in a stirred crystallization system were fitted using population balance equations. The results demonstrate that the growth rate increases with increasing supersaturation and stirring rates. Additionally, the effects of the parameters in the nucleation rate equation suggested that the suspension density exerted the greatest influence, followed by the supersaturation ratio and stirring rate. This extensive research provides invaluable theoretical guidance for optimizing the crystallization process and designing industrial crystallizers.
本文通过实验研究探讨了硫酸钾在搅拌床结晶器中的结晶动力学。采用经典成核理论,研究了硫酸钾的均相成核和异相成核机制。在不同温度和过饱和度下,精心测定了诱导时间和临界成核参数,包括表面张力()、临界成核半径()、临界成核自由能(Δ)和临界成核分子数(*)。实验结果表明,随着温度和过饱和度的增加,诱导时间、临界成核自由能、临界成核半径和临界分子数减小,而成核速率增加。晶体形状相对于温度和过饱和度保持相对不变,但随着过饱和度和温度的增加,粒径(D、D、D)增大。所测量的成核参数的变化与经典成核理论的预测吻合良好。此外,利用群体平衡方程拟合了搅拌结晶系统中晶体成核和生长速率的动力学方程。结果表明,生长速率随着过饱和度和搅拌速率的增加而增加。此外,成核速率方程中各参数的影响表明,悬浮密度的影响最大,其次是过饱和度和搅拌速率。这项广泛的研究为优化结晶过程和设计工业结晶器提供了宝贵的理论指导。